Delhi’s Sidecar wins the title for India’s best bar, again 

Discover the winners of the 30 Best Bars Award in India, including the country's best bar, Sidecar in Delhi.

It is midnight in Goa and the graveyard shift is on at Elephant & Co. Seven popular bars from across India are doing takeovers in turn, making cocktails for a heaving crowd, with the menu changing every 45 minutes.  

The influential 30 Best Bars Award have just been announced in an action-packed ceremony at the Taj Cidade De Goa, with Sidecar from Delhi, winning the coveted title of the country’s best bar. The well-loved, multiple-award winning space, styled as a neighbourhood bar, is known for its trendsetting cocktail programme, which includes drinks dedicated to the capital city.  

The high energy team from Cobbler &Crew in Pune, a crowd favourite, comes in second, and Lair in Delhi, known for its experimental cocktails, is third. They are followed by Copitas at the Four Seasons in Bengaluru, Hideaway in Goa and ZLB23, a luxurious speakeasy at the Leela Palace in Bengaluru.

The awards also introduced a new category this year for the best non-alcoholic cocktail menu, recognising a surge in demand for thoughtfully crafted drinks that move away from the syrupy mocktails of the past. It was won by Chennai’s Pandan Club, a Peranakan restaurant. Vikram Achanta, who co-founded 30BestBars with Radhakrishna Nair, says they created the award when they noticed a growing trend of bars catering to people cutting back on, or cutting out, alcohol. “We realised the drinks were becoming more sophisticated, with the same techniques applied to alcoholic cocktails,” he says, adding “I think this is part of the evolution of the Indian bar landscape... It gives people more opportunities to have a good night out.” 

Recognising changes in the country’s bar and restaurant scene, 30BestBars also launched an award for the best work in sustainability last year. This year it went to two bars, both from Pune: Soy Como Soy, along with Cobbler & Crew. (Cobbler & Crew had a good night out, winning the Best Bar Team, with its star bartender Aashi Bhatnagar also winning an award for best bartender.) 

Explaining the process of putting the awards together, Vikram says about 275 people connected to the industry voted to determine which bars make the short list. “We have about 350 bars on the long list, and about 60 self nominations. In addition to the cocktail programme, we look at the quality of bar talent and management, the design and aesthetics. We look at how much they are investing in ice, and glassware,” he says. 

Stating that many of the rankings this year were closely fought affairs, especially among the country’s top bars, which were separated by just a few votes, Radhakrishna adds, “Every year, we re-evaluate our award categories to stay relevant with what’s taking place in the bar landscape, both nationally and internationally.”